A couple of Combat Question

[Zoompet]

First, how does the game determine where the fleets start in combat?

In an e-mail game I am currently in, I have had multiple battles were the fleets started right next to each other. In one case it was after I had warped so that made some sense. In the most recent battles both fleets were in open space.

Second, how does the game determine who fires first, and is there anyway to make firing simultaneous?

[Q]

Usually the ships that were already in the sector are in the middle of the combat map and the ships that enter the sector and attack are on the same side of the combat map as the side where they came from in the system map. If the incoming ships warp, they are in the middle of the map too and things get nasty. And if you have very large fleets, the ships may start close to each other even outside the warp point situation.
In one of the Last patches it was changed that the defender always should get the first movement/shot and this you can't change.

[Wardad]

Damn good questions.

Fire first:
1. The defender should always move and fire first.
2. Of course if the enemy is not in range the firing does not happen. In this case the first to close into firing range, gets to fire first.
3. A stationary fleet is a defender.

Things that went bump in the night:
Placement:
1. An ally and I were defending a warp point. The enemy warped in and..... Both defending fleets were in seperate corners and out of range for that first shot.

2. My fleet used one move to jump through a warp point and defend it. The enemy fleet used 5 moves to come through the same warp point from the same direction. So how come the enemy got to fire first?

3. My fleet was moving away from an enemy fleet and was overtaken. We both started at the same side of the combat area and I got first shot.

[Zoompet]

Originally posted by Q:
Usually the ships that were already in the sector are in the middle of the combat map and the ships that enter the sector and attack are on the same side of the combat map as the side where they came from in the system map. If the incoming ships warp, they are in the middle of the map too and things get nasty. And if you have very large fleets, the ships may start close to each other even outside the warp point situation.
In one of the Last patches it was changed that the defender always should get the first movement/shot and this you can't change.

How does the game know who the defender is?

[gravey101]

>An ally and I were defending a warp point. The >enemy warped in and..... Both defending fleets >were in seperate corners and out of range for >that first shot.

Yes that one was, shall we say, intersting. :-)

[Phoenix-D]

"How does the game know who the defender is?"

Whoever enters the sector is the attacker, the ships in the sector first is the defender.

Phoenix-D

[DirectorTsaarx]

Originally posted by Wardad:
Things that went bump in the night:
2. My fleet used one move to jump through a warp point and defend it. The enemy fleet used 5 moves to come through the same warp point from the same direction. So how come the enemy got to fire first?

I think it's because moves are performed proportionally, i.e., expending 5 movement points means you move on days 6, 12, 18, 24 and 30; expending 1 movement point means you move on day 30. I'm not certain how the game determines who moves first on a given day...

Anyone else have a more accurate answer?